Aquarium Maintenance Archives - Page 6 of 14

Creating a natural habitat for your wildlife is one of the most interesting aspects of owning a fish aquarium. In addition to fish, rocks, gravel, plants, and manmade filters, the most ideal fish tank community includes wildlife that would clean the tank in a natural body of water. Fortunately, you have many great options, as some of the top bottom feeders for an aquarium are actually very fascinating to watch as well.

Why You Need Bottom Feeders in a Fish Tank

Bottom feeders eat the algae, decaying plants, dead animals, larvae, and natural debris that is created in a fish tank. As a result, they help to maintain an ideal ecosystem and keep the alkalinity of the water at an optimal level. The bottom feeders assist the manmade filters in doing their job, and they also enhance the aesthetic appeal of the aquarium.

Even if you do add bottom feeders into your tank, you should also include plants, gravel, and rocks as well. All of these elements together help to create the best environment for your fish and other wildlife.

Top Options for Bottom Feeders for an Aquarium

1. Shrimp

Shrimp are popular because they add a pop of color to a fish tank, and they’re tough critters. One of the most popular is the cherry shrimp, which is usually a beautiful crimson color. Other shrimp commonly used as bottom feeders for an aquarium include:

Crystal shrimp
Bumblebee shrimp
Amano shrimp

Red Cherry Shrimp are one of the top bottom dwellers for a fish tank.

A red cherry shrimp stands on a piece of driftwood.

2. Snails

While you don’t want snails to infest your freshwater tank, if you intentionally add a snail to a tank and maintain it properly, it can be one of your greatest assets. The most effective may be the Malaysian trumpet snail, but other popular snails are nerite snails and mystery snails.

3. Catfish

Catfish are relatively peaceful animals that are omnivorous, so they can eat insect larvae, clams, fish, plants, snails, and crayfish. The peppered cory catfish is one of the most common species used as bottom feeders. Other types include:

Channel catfish
Flathead catfish
Blue catfish
Brown bullheads
Yellow bullheads
Glass catfish
Pictus catfish
Otocinclus catfish
Twig catfish

Cory Catfish are among the most popular bottom dwellers.

4. Crayfish

Crayfish add a certain appeal to an aquarium, and they’re excellent bottom feeders. They’re a bit shy though, so you may find them hiding in secret spots in your aquarium.

5. Loaches

Loaches are among the most popular bottom dwellers for an aquarium in general, but they can be a bit aggressive. Commonly used loaches include:

Yoyo loaches
Dwarf loaches
Zebra loaches
Clown loaches

A clown loach is among the top bottom feeders for an aquarium.

Clown loaches are among several loaches that are used to clean fish tanks.

6. Plecos

Members of the catfish family, several different types of plecos are often used to keep those fish tanks clean. They grow larger than some other types of bottom feeders and can be very strong. Bristlenose plecos, for example, can grow to four inches and often have large whiskers. A clown pleco is also a popular bottom feeder.

Plecos are among the largest and strongest of the popular bottom feeders for an aquarium.

A sailfin pleco, a large and strong bottom feeder, sits at the bottom of a fish tank.

7. Algae Eaters

Members of the carp family, Siamese algae eaters and Chinese algae eaters are effective in clearing algae out of your tank. They tend to have a stripe along their bodies and can be attractive additions to your fish tank. The downfall is that they can become very aggressive when they’re fully grown.

Recruit the Best Cleanup Crew

As with any new addition to your fish tank, it’s important to do your research ahead of time to see how well the bottom feeders will get along with other wildlife in the tank. Bottom feeders could eat existing fish or by eaten by them, but usually the environment is fairly peaceful.

One day, you look into your fish tank and notice a cute little snail clinging to the inside of the glass. You’re curious how it got there, knowing that you didn’t put any snails in your fish tank, but you let it be for the time being. A couple days later, you see that that one is still there, but there are also a couple more in the gravel. A couple weeks later, the snails have multiplied greatly, and now they’re spread out all over the gravel.

“What in the world is going on here?” you ask yourself. “Is this magic? And is this good or bad?”

Let’s try to clear things up for you.

What You Need to Know about Having Snails in Your Fish Tank

Although they honestly beautify your fish tank and give it more personality, snails that seem to magically appear in your tank are considered pests.

But don’t worry. These pests aren’t all bad.

The good news is that the snails eat algae. The bad news is that they multiply as a result of algae.

The snails first enter your fish tank from live plants, or are scooped up with new fish. The snails then feed off excess algae in the tank or leftover food at the bottom of the tank. In other words, if you have pest snails in your fish tank, it means you either have too much algae in the tank or are overfeeding your fish.

Snails do multiply very rapidly, especially because they don’t need a mate to reproduce. A snail simply fertilizes its own egg. In fact, you probably have more snails in the tank than you realize, as many of the snails could be burrowed into the gravel.

Although the snails can reproduce in both freshwater and saltwater tanks, they’re much more prevalent in freshwater tanks, and this infestation could be harmful to the rest of the wildlife. As the snails become bigger and more plentiful, they could eat your aquarium plants or clog your filters.

Keeping Snails out of Your Fish Tank

To prevent snails from entering your fish tank environment to begin with, make sure there is nothing else in the bag when you buy a new fish.

You also should soak new live plants before adding them to the tank. A variety of different solutions are suggested by hobbyists, such as one part bleach to nine parts water. Soak the plant in this solution for 10 minutes, and then rinse the plant in RODI water and let it air dry before placing it in the tank.

While effective, the bleach method can be hard on the plants, however. An alternative method is to dip the plants in a saltwater mix, which consists of one cup of aquarium salt per gallon of water. Dangle the plant upside-down into the saltwater, but do not submerge the roots. Keep the plant in the water for 15 minutes to give the salt time to get rid of the snails. After taking the plant out, rinse it in RODI water and plant it into your aquarium.

How to Get Rid of Snails

There are several ways to eliminate snails, or at least control the number that you have in the tank.

• As suggested by Spruce Pets, attach a leaf of lettuce to the glass inside your fish tank. The snails will love it, and you can then simply take out that lettuce leaf full of snails and dispose of it.

• Add fish that eat snails into your tank. These fish include loaches, puffer fish, blennies, wrasses, and triggerfish.

• Try additives such as AZOO Nano-Tech Snail Treatment to control the snails.

Overall, the best way to prevent infestation is proper aquarium maintenance by a qualified technician. If you are concerned about snails in your fish tank, contact us at Seatech Aquariums for fish tank maintenance services.

Category Archives: Aquarium Maintenance

Most Popular Bottom Feeders for an Aquarium